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Food vs Medicine. A great comparison to consider. Will you take responsibility for your health with lifestyle changes that really count?
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 In a recent article posted on Medscape, a study of the impact of meditation and yoga on the progression of Alzheimer's offered new insight into the possible prevention of mental decline. Specifially this small pilot study compared the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on specific areas of the brain that are most susceptible in the development of dementia. A control group received no additional treatments. The study group received 8 weekly two hour sessions of a combination of mindfulness meditation and yoga, as well as a mindfulness retreat of one day. Participants were encouraged to use guided audio recordings at home for 30 minutes a day.
At the conclusion of the study, functional MRI was used to compare connectivity between areas of the brain as well as the size of the hippocampus. The study group showed an increase in the functional connectivity of the areas specifically impacted by dementia. Both groups showed an atrophy or shrinking in the hippocampus, but this was less in the study group. The exciting findings of this study are that this population already showed mild cognitive dysfunction at the onset of the study, but with MBSR the decline was slowed as compared to the control group. As well, the study group also showed improvement in the areas of the brain that are specifically impacted as the disease progresses from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer's. The study authors caution that this was a very small study group, 15 indivduals, and that the change in hippocampal volume was not statistically significant. But it does open the door for future research and offers an intervention that could have benefit without any risk of harm. “Goals” should be “stepping stones” that will bring you closer to your big vision. Setting and achieving goals is not a “me-too” thing, which you see others set a certain goals (e.g. lose 20 pounds) and you try to do the same. Your big vision is what pulls you through when things get challenging. The goals, big or small, should be the steps that will help you achieve your big vision. Your goals should be more than “physical” or material achievement. What emotions do you want to achieve by losing 10 pounds? Do you want to feel “sexy” again? Do you want to feel like you “fit in”? Try to achieve those“emotions”, and the “physical” manifestation will follow. When you focus on how you want to feel, you let go of the material manifestation. You won’t get hung up on the last 2 pounds, if you are already feeling fabulous. With that big vision also comes your “Big Why”. Why do you want to achieve your goal? Dig deeper than your initial answer. Your initial response to why you want to lose 10 pounds may be to look good in your clothes. Don’t stop there… ask, then what? Then, maybe you will feel confident about yourself. You will change your life because you feel empowered to step up and do the thing that you have been wanting to do and live to your fullest potential! This will be the big reason to pull you forward when you feel unmotivated. This will be the big reason to get you back on track when you fall off the wagon. When you write down your goals, make sure they are stated in the positive. The subconscious mind does not understand “negative” – so if you say, “I don’t want to feel tired” your subconscious mind only focuses on “tired” – and you will stay being tired. Instead, say “I want to feel energetic and productive,” then your subconscious mind will get on board to help you achieve a more energetic life!  Maybe the foundation of childhood obesity lies in our fast food frenzy, but it's not just our children who are out of balance. Children learn to select foods from their parents. They learn to comfort themselves from their parents. They learn to reward themeselves from thier parents. We, the adults, are the role models that children study to learn about their world. Fast food is just one error we make when teaching children about food.
Can you make a better choice today? Can you be a better role model today? The solution to any problem begins with ownership. How do you partcipate in the problem? What can you do differently today to move towards the solution? A simple choice to select healthier ways to nourish your body can be the start of a new journey towards your healthy, slender, and active body. Will you make that choice today?  Just can't get your head wrapped around your weight loss plan? Do you start and stop in your efforts to lose weight? Do your actions fall short of your intent? Do you know what you need to do but you just don't do it?
It's not an uncommon thing to be out of sync with your intentions. But maybe it's because you are using the wrong part of your mind! Your power of will is in your conscious mind. The part of your mind that looks, listens, and learns. But your habits, emotions, patterns, and automatic behaviors are in your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind doesn't make decisions. It simply follows the patterns that you....or someone else, has programmed in there. So maybe your eating behaviors, your relationships with food and even your patterns of activity and exercise are no longer conscious choices, but simply old habits. So how do we change our mind? It's a systematic process. You can do it yourself if you know how. Or you can hire a hypnotist or health coach to assist you. The first step is to get rid of the negative thoughts! Make a list of all the things you don't want and don't like about your weight. Use imagery to let it go. Identify your obstacles. Those are the excuses you make or the reasons you give yourself for not losing weight. What's your motivation: who do you want to become? Install that image in your mind. Use meditation, visualization or simply activate that image every night as you are falling asleep. Do that for at least thirty nights. Make a plan. Does your plan need to include a food plan, an exercise plan, an hypnosis plan or a support plan? Do you need guidance or education? Do you need the support of a professional hypnotist or health coach? Make the plan as detailed as you can. Give your conscious mind a structure to work from. Activate your plan. That's right! Take action! Each day do at least three things that support your healthy weight. You might find that as you do three things, you automatically do more, becasue it feels good to take care of yourself. It feels good to be healthy, active and slender! So here's my challenge to you: I have a few pounds to lose, do you? Let's hold each other accountable. Write a comment and include your goal. Then report your progress along the way. Let's take these next few months to get healthier and feel great! I am happy to do individual consultation to help you get started on your journey to your best health!  Colorful Kale Salad
2 bunches Kale (about 4 heaping cups) 2-3 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/8 tsp sea salt (more to taste) 1 heaping tsp grated Fresh Ginger ½ avocado, peeled anc chopped ¼ C diced red onion ¼ C diced red bell pepper 1 large carrot, grated or shredded 3 Tbs – ¼ C. toasted sunflower seeds or Pine Nuts 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice 2 Tbs fresh lime juice Remove stalks from kale. Chop the leaves into small pieces and put into mixing mixing bowl Drizzle with olive oil. Gently massage oil into the leaves. Sprinkle with seas salt, ginger and avocado. Continue massaging the leaves until they are evenly coated and slightly softened. Allow to rest and marinate for 15 minutes. Add onion, red pepper, carrot and seeds. Toss to coat. Drizzle with lemon and lime juices. Massage juices into the leaves and toss again. Season to taste with salt. Massage again before serving. Serves 4-6 Asparagus Hazelnut Salad 2 pounds asparagus, lightly steamed or grilled, ¼ C manchego cheese , finely grated 1/3 C raw hazelnuts – toasted Dressing 1 lemon juiced ½ lemon zested 1 Tbs olive oil 3 Tbs honey Sea salt and pepper to taste Chop asparagus into 2 inch pieces Make dressing by whisking it all together Combine all dressing with asparagus and mix well. Sprinkle with grated cheese just before serving. Serves 4 Mouthwatering Kale Salad 1 bunch of kale ½ C. chopped currants or golden raisins 1 lemon juiced 1 Tbs. olive oil 1 Tbs. honey ½ C pine nuts , toasted Salt and pepper to taste ½ C parmesan cheese, finely grated Chop kale into small pieces. Whisk lemon juice, oil and honey in large bowl. Add in kale, currants, and toasted pine nuts. Coat evenly. Chill. Just before serving, sprinkle with the grated cheese. Serves 2 Pineapple Mango Salsa 1 C. diced pineapple 1 Kiwi, peeled and diced ½ C diced red pepper ½ C finely diced red onion 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice ½ Tbs. diced jalapeno pepper 3Tbs finly chopped fresh cilantro Salt and pepper to taste Combine all. Cover and refrigerate.  Dry skin can be caused by a combination of environmental stress and poor nutrition. You may need to experiment to see what is causing your skin to become dry. Here are 4 tips to keep your skin moist and soft:
- Hydrate! When cells are dehydrated, they lose their plumpness and structure. Make sure you are drinking at least 1.5 quarts of water a day (no caffeinated beverage!). Caffeine dehydrates the body and especially the skin. - Eat foods rich in essential fatty acids (good fats) such as fish, nuts and seeds. The Omega 3 Fatty Acids are essential for healthy skin cells. For more severe conditions, consider supplementing with fish, flaxseed or evening primrose oil. - Look into poor calcium metabolism - calcium is a drying mineral, and if it's not processed properly, it can get dumped into the "wrong places", including the skin. You can find out by having a hair analysis done. Calcium has to be balanced with Magnesium and Vitamin D. These minerals are important to the elasicity and hydration of your skin. - Look into your thyroid health, as low thyroid hormone level can cause many symptoms, including dry skin. This test must be performed at a lab in conjunction with your doctor. If your thyroid is normal but in the lower half of the normal range, foods that support the thyroid may be of benefit to you. Foods that contain iodine such as seafood or sea vegetables, and iodized salt all provide small amounts of this trace mineral to support healthy thyroid function. - Did I mention hydration? The single most important thing you can do for your skin is to drink adequate amounts of water, especially during the hot summer months when sun exposure and heat dry us out. Fresh water is made better if it is alkalyzed, but water without sugars, artificial sweeteners, or caffeine is the foundation of healthy skin and a healthy body.  Skin issues are definitely not skin-deep. Skin is the largest filtration organ in our body, and it reflects the condition inside of our body. The skin clears out toxins and wastes much like the liver and kidneys do. Sometimes, the best way to relieve skin problems is to fix the root cause so that they can be taken care of once and for all.
These are some possible causes of skin conditions: -Cold sores and chicken pox = immune system is trying to fight off internal infection - Rash, hives or acne = allergic reaction to food or medications or may indicate a food sensitivity that has become a toxic overload to the digestive tract. - Yellowish skin tone = problem with liver. This requires evaluation by a medical professional Also, imbalances in the digestive tract can cause skin disorders: - Poor digestion and absorption - Not enough "good" bacteria (gut flora) in the digestive tract - Overgrowth of candida yeast - Leaky gut To support your digestive system, eat foods that are rich in prebiotic and probiotics. These can be the fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut or kim chee. To reduce the overgrowth of candida yeast, avoid sugar, flour and other starchy foods. To manage leaky gut, investigate possible food intolerance, such as gluten or lactose. This can be done with an elimination/ challenge diet with the suspected food. A consult with a Naturopath or Health Consultant might help you evaluate the source of a skin condition. Knowing the source gives you a plan of action that treats the cause not the symptom of a skin condition.  What the food industry put on their packaging can be confusing at best, misleading at worse. They can give consumers a false sense of eating healthy; leading them to eat more processed and packaged foods – which ultimately lead to a slew of health issue that our nation is facing right now.
 I don't know about you but I can sure tell when my blood sugar starts to fall. First I notice a little bit of hunger, or maybe I don't notice until suddenly that feeling of hunger is overwhelming. Then one of two things happens next: I eat anything that's not nailed down or I become an irritable bundle of Grouch! Even if I can get past that and eventually eat an appropriate meal, my energy is shot for the rest of the day. This is one trigger to avoid if you are serious about your weight loss! Hypoglycemia – a fancy name for low blood sugar level. Hypoglycemia occurs when:
Although it is most common in people with diabetes, it can happen for healthy people from time to time as well, especially when there is big fluctuation in blood sugar level, or if a person hasn’t eating for a long period of time. Skipping meals, not eating enough during meal, genetic tendency for low blood sugar and not compensating by adding extra meals or snacks can all contribute to hypoglycemia. High sugar foods or high glycemic foods can trigger an excessive insulin release, suddenly bottoming out blood sugar levels. There are a few ways to alleviate mood issues caused by hypoglycemia: Eat meals that are low in glycemic load: substitute refined grains with whole grains, include a generous amount of vegetables, and a moderate amount of protein and good fats which can slow down the absorption of carbs. To keep blood sugar level even, experiment with having 5 – 6 small meals or snacks a day, instead of 3 big meals. Add protein to every meal or snack. Avoid ,as much as possible, all processed foods, and anything that contains sugar and refined carbohydrates. You can avoid this trigger by taking charge of your food plan and your health! Weight loss and maintaining your ideal weight comes down to the choices you make to fuel your healthy, active, and slender body! |
Mary Beth LodgeLife Coach, Hypnotist, Alternative Health Consultant, assisting others to improve their lives and their health. Life coaching in areas of weight loss and smoking cessation, health and wellness, financial freedom, business relationships. 
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